The Same But Different
by Orions Light
Summary: Excited for having finally become a Genin, Risa is overjoyed when she is placed in Squad Seven with her childhood friend, Sasuke. Looking forward to taking her next steps in her ninja career, she completely forgets how dangerous and life-threatening this life can be. Especially since trouble seems to love this particular team of Genin. What will the future hold? / Enjoy! :)
1. Prologue

**A/N: This story follows the original story line for some time and the first Naruto movie plays an important role. There might be some OOC-ness due to me somewhat altering some of the character's pasts such as Kakashi's and Sasuke's; don't worry I didn't change it too dramatically, it's just that my OC Risa came into their lives. For some artwork, you can go to my profile and I have links to my deviantArt and tumblr there. Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto but I do own Risa.**

**Prologue**

_Snowflakes were dancing through the air, oblivious to the screaming of dying soldiers. Some of them were afflicted though, when they melted in the heat of the hungry flames licking the castle walls. The frigid night was filled with the metallic hissing of swords and knives. Sometimes there would be a sharp noise when metal kissed metal, other times gut-wrenching screams when metal tore apart flesh. The air was thick with the odor of blood, which had dyed the pure white snow into a crimson carpet for the dead to rest upon._

_Amidst all the fighting, kind words where whispered into a child's ear. Little hands clutched the bag that it had been given. Little feet sunk into the snow as it tried to get away. Like icy fingers the cold crawled under its skin as if death was reaching out a hand to it. The battle was raging on behind, the flames already reaching into the sky. Only faintly could the screams still be heard._

_Suddenly a girl's cry ripped through the placidity. She was calling for her father. Before the child could realize what had happened, a little sled pulled by black wolves rushed past and was gone as fast as it had appeared._

_The child fell to its knees. It should not have stopped but it was too late. With no more strength left to get back on its feet, the child pressed the bag to its chest. The warmth drained out of its body and its vision went black. Death was cradling the child with frigid fingers when suddenly it was encased by something warm. Something warm and gentle…_

"…sa. Risaaaa, wake up!"

The girl opened her eyes to find herself staring into a pair of black ones. Sasuke was bent over her, the tips of his hair tickling her face.

"…I fell asleep?" she asked him as he sat back.

"Yeah. But Kakashi's here now, so I woke you up," he explained.

Risa turned her head to look out the window and noticed that the sky was dyed a dark purple. Turning back, she saw that Sasuke had followed her gaze out of the window.

"He's late. I thought you were going to stay over again," he muttered, looking a little disappointed, "Anyway, you need to get ready."

Rubbing her eyes, Risa nodded and took her bag that Sasuke was holding out to her. Together, they went to the front door, where Kakashi was talking to Sasuke's mother, Mikoto.

"Thank you for looking after her again. I'm very sorry for troubling you, Mikoto-san," Kakashi apologized while bowing slightly.

"Don't worry about it. It's good for me to have another girl in the house. Sasuke agrees, don't you?" the woman teased with a smile, ruffling her son's hair while he pouted with slightly blushed cheeks.

With a big yawn Risa finished putting on her shoes and trotted over to Kakashi. He patted her head with a smile before bending down and lifting her into his arms.

"Bye, Sasuke. Thank you, Mikoto-san." She waved tiredly, her head resting on Kakashi's shoulder.

"Come back soon, Risa-chan," Mikoto smiled while Sasuke waved, still pouting at his mother's words.

After bowing and thanking Mikoto again, Kakashi turned to leave the house. The air grew chill as the sky darkened but Risa didn't notice. She was encased in warmth, as she was carried through the dimly lit streets. Encased in warmth…

"Kaka-chii, I had a dream earlier," she muttered.

"Hm? Do you remember what it was?"

"It was snowing. And there was a castle but it was burning. And people were screaming. And there was a child in the snow…" she trailed off as her heavy eyelids finally won the fight and tiredness consumed her.

Kakashi thought about her words and stroked her back gently. Those weren't the kind of dreams he wanted her to have.

"Don't think about that dream anymore. It's all good now. You're safe," he said.


	2. Chapter 1: Introductions

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but Risa is all mine.**

**Chapter 1: Introductions**

Blue-gray eyes stared intently at the Konoha Leaf engraved in the shiny metal plate of the forehead protector. With an excited smile, the blue fabric was tied in the nape of her slender neck. Looking in the mirror she could see her short but lean frame, black hair that would go a little past her shoulder was tied up in a ponytail and her somewhat round face was framed by unruly bangs. Giving herself a thumbs-up, Risa grinned back at her reflection before turning to leave for the academy.

"Kakashi, I'm leaving!" she announced after she had slipped into her shoes. There was no reaction, which meant that he was either still sleeping or had already gone to the obsidian memorial stone to pay his respects to his fallen friends.

After locking the door behind her, she hurried towards the academy. It was a beautiful day, a few clouds floating lazily in a sea of bright blue sky. The villagers were already out and about, some turning their heads to the girl running through the streets.

Having finally arrived at the classroom, Risa entered to almost have her eardrums ruptured. All the girls in the class had gathered around Sasuke, bickering and yelling about who would be the one to sit next to him. In the middle of it were, as usual, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka.

Sasuke was trying to ignore his fans, staring straight ahead, when he noticed Risa standing by the door. Making eye contact to get her attention, he faintly mouthed "Save me". She nodded with a grin and had barely taken a step when suddenly Sasuke's face was replaced with Naruto's back. The blond boy was squatting on the Uchiha's desk, doing who knows what. Risa saw a student behind Naruto move his arm and accidentally pushing him right into Sasuke.

Assuming from the girl's heartbroken reaction and the two boys' spitting and gagging, Risa could only take a wild guess at what had happened and could barely contain an amused smile.

"Narutooo…" An ominous aura surrounded the fangirls who had without a doubt wished to be in Naruto's position. The sound of knuckles cracking filled the room and within the blink of an eye the poor blonde was grabbed from Sasuke's desk and given a thorough beating.

While the girls were busy beating up poor Naruto, Risa came up the wooden steps and took a seat next to Sasuke. He gave her a slight nod as if to say "Good morning" and she grinned back at him.

"Am I right to assume that you got your first kiss just now?" she teased in a low voice.

"It wasn't voluntarily," he said, clearly trying to repress the memory.

"HUH?!"

Risa turned her head to see a badly bruised Naruto laying on the floor and all of Sasuke's fangirls glaring at her for 'stealing' the seat next to the object of their desire. Just as they were about to open their mouths for what Risa assumed was probably going to be yelling, Iruka came into the classroom and ushered everyone into their seats. Sakura sat down next to the black-haired girl (which was not next to Sasuke but at least the next best thing) and Naruto slumped down next to the Haruno.

"You are all Genin now, so from today onwards you will be assigned to small squads with a Jonin teacher," Iruka explained, "Also, we tried to balance out each squad's strength. So, starting from Squad One…"

Iruka went through his list of names, placing the students into their squads. Some were happy about theirs and others not at all. Risa thought about who her teammates were going to be. She worked well with Sasuke, seeing as how they'd known each other for so long. Then again, shinobi need to be flexible, so she would have to learn to work with whoever she was put with.

"Squad Seven," Iruka announced, "Sakura Haruno."

Risa saw the girl perch up next to her.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

The blonde boy jumped up cheering with both first in the air, while the pink-haired girl let her head drop in disappointment.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Now Sakura was the one jumping up and cheering, while Naruto's head dropped in disappointment.

"And Risa Hatake."

A small smile formed on Sasuke's lips, which was hidden behind his hands folded in front of his face.

Naruto and Sakura both turned their heads toward the black-haired girl, who smiled at them. Sakura didn't look all too happy and Naruto looked more intent on Sasuke.

"Iruka-sensei! Why does an outstanding shinobi like me have to be in the same squad as that jerk over there?!" Naruto yelled, slamming his hands on the desk and pointing a finger at the Uchiha.

"Naruto! Sasuke's grades were the best in the class, while yours were the worst! You do understand that we have to do this to balance the teams, right?" the teacher scolded the blonde.

"Just make sure you don't in my way, idiot," Sasuke said.

"What did you call me?!"

"Leave Sasuke-kun alone!", Sakura yelled, ready to throw another punch.

After Iruka had managed to somewhat calm down the classroom again, he continued placing the remaining students into their squads.

"All right, this afternoon we'll introduce your Jonin teachers. You guys can take a break till then," Iruka announced, dismissing the class.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, eat lunch with me," Naruto invited the girl, who punched him on the head and rebuffed him.

Risa turned to Sasuke, who had already gotten up. He looked at her with onyx eyes, the collar of his blue shirt covering the bottom half of his face.

"Lunch at the usual spot?" he muttered.

"Yup, I still need to buy my food though. You go on ahead and I'll meet you there."

He nodded before turning to walk out of the classroom, very much to Sakura's dismay who had probably hoped to eat with him.

* * *

After having bought some onigiri, Risa was rushing to the spot Sasuke had mentioned earlier. _'Argh he's probably been waiting a while. Why was the line so long today?' _She hurried up the stairs and almost dropped her food when she finally got to the top. Getting ready to apologize, she opened the door to the little room (which had a big open window through which she got to the roof) only to find it empty.

"Huh?"

There was some rope on the floor and Sasuke's lunch was still sitting atop the window sill. But where was he?

"Maybe he went to the bathroom," Risa thought aloud while climbing through the window to sit on the roof.

Deciding to wait for him, she unpacked her lunch and started munching on the onigiri. Her mind wandered to the Jonin teachers Iruka had told them about. Risa knew quite a few shinobi of Konoha, thanks to her upbringing by Kakashi. What she didn't know was who would teach which squad.

"They probably won't assign Kakashi to my squad. Soo… Genma maybe? What about Kurenai? Hmm…"

Just as she was about to take another bite, Risa realized that she had already finished all of her food. Coming to the conclusion that Sasuke was not coming back, she decided to head back to the classroom to wait for the Jonin teacher.

She climbed back into the room and her gaze fell upon the rope on the floor again. _'Why _is_ there a piece of rope? I'm not entirely sure if I should ask Sasuke about this later…' _Shrugging it off, she headed for the door and just as she was about to open it, she felt it being pulled from the outside. Her balance disrupted, she stumbled face first into a lean body. She felt the body's weight shift and hands grabbing her shoulders to help regain her balance. Looking up, she saw two onyx eyes inspecting her questioningly.

"Oh, hey, Sasuke. Where've you been?"

"Break's almost over. Let's get back," he said, ignoring her question.

"What happened?" Risa asked. She knew he was upset but she was not going to just let it go.

"Nothing."

"Sasuke-"

He shot her an angry glare that caused her to choke on her words. Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

Silence filled the space between them, stretching out into what seemed like eternity.

"Sakura…" he started, "She said some annoying things. It pissed me off."

Risa lifted her head. The Uchiha had his face turned to the side but was looking at her through the corner of his eye. His gaze had softened and Risa grinned at him.

"Now let's get back," he said and started walking with Risa following close behind.

* * *

The classroom was empty. All the graduates had been picked up. All except- "Oh man, why is our teacher the only one who's so damn late?! Everyone's left already!"

Naruto had his head stuck out into the corridor, looking left and right for a sign of the teacher.

_'__Uh-oh… this seems all too familiar…' _Risa thought with a sense of foreboding.

"Naruto, what are you doing?!" Sakuras voice interrupted Risa's thoughts.

The blond boy was squeezing a blackboard eraser between the door and the wall so that it would fall on anyone who would attempt to open the door.

"That's what he gets for being late!" He stepped away from the door, staring at it in anticipation.

"As if a Jonin would fall for such a stupid prank," Sasuke said behind folded hands.

Just then the door slid open and the eraser was set loose to fall on a head of unruly silver hair. In that moment, all of Risa's suspicions were confirmed.

"Whahahaha, you fell for it!" Naruto burst out into laughter while Sakura tried to talk her way of it, explaining that she had tried to stop Naruto even though she looked pretty pleased herself.

Sasuke looked over at Risa, who shrugged. "I don't know," she mouthed at him. She had no idea why Kakashi had been assigned to their squad.

"My first impression is," the silver-haired Jonin started while rubbing his chin, "I don't like you."

_'__I didn't know you could be mean, Kakashi,'_ Risa thought and looked as depressed as the rest of her teammates.

* * *

Sitting up on the rooftop of the academy, the squad looked at their teacher, who was leaned against the railing while they were sitting on the stairs before him, expectantly.

"All right, let's begin introducing ourselves," he announced.

"Well, what do you want to know?" Sakura inquired.

"Hm… How about your name, likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, and things like that."

"Hey, why don't you introduce yourself first? We don't even know your name yet!" Naruto suggested.

The Jonin eyed the blond boy before answering, "Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake-"

"Hatake?!" Naruto and Sakura interrupted in unison.

He raised an eyebrow at them, while they both turned to stare at Risa.

"Your last name is Hatake too, isn't it?" Naruto asked.

Risa nodded.

"Are you guys related? You don't look alike at all! Sensei, how old are you?! Are you married?" No one had ever seen Naruto and Sakura more in unison than when they bombarded Kakashi with all kinds of questions.

"All right, all right, quiet down, you guys," the Jonin interrupted their interrogation, "Risa _is_ my daughter-"

"EH?!"

Kakashi sighed and before Naruto and Sakura could resume their interrogation, he lifted a hand to silence them.

"I'm adopted though, that's why we don't look alike," Risa explained, answering a few of the many questions.

"Now, let's get back to introductions, shall we? My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future? Hmm, I never really thought about that. And I have lots of hobbies…"

Risa's head dropped. _'All you told them was your name…'_

Kakashi nodded in Naruto's direction, telling him to go next.

"All right! My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I like cup noodles. But what I like even better is when Iruka Sensei treats me to Ichiraku's Ramen. I don't like waiting 3 minutes for my cup noodles to cook. And my dream is to become Hokage and have all the people in this village acknowledge me!"

_'__There was a lot of ramen in there. Big dreams, though,' _Kakashi thought and motioned for Risa to go next.

"Well, my name's Risa Hatake. I like shaved ice and wind chimes. I don't like boats… because I get seasick. My dream? I want to become stronger than Kakashi so I don't need to keep doing chores!"

The Jonin chuckled, thinking of all the little competitions he had with her to decide who would have to take over the chores for the week. Needless to say, Risa had yet to win a single one.

Their attention was turned to Sasuke, when he started speaking for his turn, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't like a lot of things and I like nothing in particular. My dream is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to kill a certain man."

Silence settled over them, shivers running down Risa's spine. _'Itachi…'_ Fond memories of him came to her mind. Just like Sasuke she had adored and looked up to him, sometimes even fighting over him. But then…

"Okay," Kakashi broke the uncomfortable silence, nodding at Sakura, "Your turn."

"I'm Sakura Haruno. And I like…" With pink cheeks she looked over to Sasuke. "Dreams for the future…" She stole another glance, snickering with excitement at her fantasy. "And I hate Naruto!"

The blond boy whined at this, looking at his crush with a broken heart.

_'__She seems more interested in love than being a ninja,'_ Kakashi thought with a sigh.

"All right, tomorrow we'll start our duties as shinobi," the Jonin started, earning an excited "Yeah!" from Naruto, "Meeting point is tomorrow early morning on the training grounds. Oh, and don't eat breakfast."

"Uhm, Sensei, why shouldn't we eat breakfast?" Sakura asked the question everyone was wondering.

"Because… you might throw it up."


	3. Chapter 2: The Demon Brothers

**Chapter 2: The Demon Brothers**

"Hmmph."

Risa sat on the small roof under her window, staring up into the blue sky. Her wind chimes were singing in the cool breeze, while she watched the sun crawl across the firmament. Chatter and laughter came up to her from the street below. According to the sun, it was probably around noon.

A long sigh escaped Risa's lips. "They're probably having lunch right now. Argh, I'm so bored! Why did I have to go and hurt myself the day before survival training? How am I going to pass the actual Genin test if I'm not even taking it?!"

She inspected her bandaged foot and noticed that the swelling had gone down. It still hurt if she put too much pressure on it but it should be healed in no time. Pouting at her injury, she remembered yesterday's training session with Kakashi. Excitement had made her less cautious, distracting her enough to turn an innocent root into the cause of her sprained ankle.

"Argh, I'm bored!" she groaned frustrated.

"Want me to keep you company?"

Surprised, she turned her head to the left to find Sasuke standing on the roof next to her. As usual, his hands were in his pockets and he was looking at her with his onyx eyes. Risa's face lit up at the sight of him.

"Sasuke! How was survival training? Did you pass the test? Did I fail because I wasn't there? Do I have to go back to the academy now?"

He chuckled as he sat down next to her, one leg dangling off the edge of the roof, the other prepped up against his body so he could rest his arm on it. Risa noticed that his cheek was scraped and leaned over to poke it. His pale skin was soft to her touch, despite the few scratches that covered it. Raising an eyebrow, he turned to regard her questioningly.

"Was Kakashi very hard on you?" she teased.

"Not as hard as he was on you," he motioned towards her bandaged foot, "But he had to be. And we passed the test, so we'll start doing missions soon. The point was teamwork and Kakashi knows that we work well together so you passed, too."

Risa grinned at him and moved to let her legs dangle off the roof. Her wind chimes were singing sweet melodies, one of them singing sweeter than the rest. Its tubes were dark glass, which shone a deep blue in the sunlight and the Uchiha crest was painted on its wind sail.

"You still have that?" Sasuke's head was tilted back, looking to the top of the window where her wind chimes danced in the wind, eyes focused on the Uchiha crested one.

Following his gaze she replied, "Of course I do! Why wouldn't I keep something that my dear Sasuke gave me?" He nudged her shoulder with a little smile, while she stuck her tongue out at him.

With a content sigh she leaned against him, head resting on his shoulder. He looked down at her from the corners of his eyes. Pale skin glowing faintly in the sunlight, hair swaying gently in the breeze, a smile on her lips.

"Doing nothing is sort of exhausting," Risa yawned, "But who knows how many more days like this we'll have."

Sasuke turned his gaze towards the sky. She was right. The peaceful times of their academy years were about to end. They were Genin now. And it didn't stop there for him. He had to keep getting stronger and stronger until his thirst for revenge was satisfied. He could not die until then. He would not die until then.

"Are you worried?" Her words pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You don't need to worry. I'll protect you," she assured him.

A small smile spread across his lips. As his onyx eyes looked back down at her, his gaze was met by her blue-gray orbs. "Promise?"

"Promise!"

Resting his cheek on the top of her head, he chuckled, "I'll leave it to you then."

* * *

When he entered the little two-bedroom flat, his eye fell on the young girl that was sprawled on the couch. She was groaning, seemingly without ever needing to take a breath.

"You look like you had fun today," he observed.

She turned towards him abruptly. "Kakashi! I'm so BORED! I haven't done anything today! I even slept because I was so bored! Well, Sasuke came by for a while but then he left again to go training and I couldn't even go with!"

The Jonin walked over to the couch and gently placed a hand on the girl's bandaged foot that was sticking out over the armrest.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Not really. Only a little when I walk but that's it."

Taking his hand off her injury, he walked over to the other end of the couch and ruffled her hair. "Then official ninja duty starts for you tomorrow," he announced, earning a broad grin from his daughter, "And since you're injured, I'll even cook dinner for tonight. You better eat everything I make."

She stuck her tongue out at him as he went to his room to get changed. When he was home he usually wore the black sleeveless turtleneck and his baggy uniform pants. He never took his mask off though, except for when they were eating. _'I wonder why…'_

Looking up at the ceiling, Risa wondered what kind of missions they would be getting. She was a ninja now, so the time had come for her to do her part in protecting the village. With an excited smile she started spacing out, her mind racing through all kinds of scenarios of what she imagined the missions were going to be.

* * *

"Nyaaaa!"

The cat was mercilessly scratching at Naruto's face while he bravely held on to it, trying to not let it escape.

"Yes, we got her," Sasuke reported back to Kakashi through the communication device.

_'__This is not entirely what I expected when I heard "ninja duty"' _Risa thought to herself as she watched Naruto wrestle the runaway cat. Apparently the blonde was thinking the same thing, yelling into comm device, "THIS SUCKS! WHEN ARE WE GETTING A PROPER MISSION?!"

Squad Seven stood in the Third Hokage's office, handing in the mission report and watching the runaway cat be snuggled to death by its owner. Several scrolls lay on the desk in front of the old man, and as the cat owner handed money to one of the shinobi sitting at another desk, he crossed out the mission request on the scroll with the letter 'D' written on it. Taking a puff of his pipe, he inspected the remaining requests before fixing his gaze on the team before him.

"Now, your next duty will be babysitting-"

"NO! NO! NO! NO! I don't want another one of those! Find us a better mission!" Naruto interrupted loudly.

"Naruto! You're only a Genin! You start off with simple duties and then work your way up!" Iruka, who had been sitting next to the Third, scolded.

"But we keep getting the crappiest ones!"

"Be quiet, you," Kakashi told the blonde with a punch on the head.

"Naruto, it seems I need to explain to you what these duties are all about," the Third spoke up, "Everyday the village receives requests that range from babysitting to assassination. Each one is written down on these lists," he pointed to the scrolls in front of him, "And then divided into categories A, B, C, and D, based on difficulty. The shinobi of this village are also divided based on skill. Starting with me, the Hokage, to the Jonin, Chuunin, and Genin. The missions are then handed out to the shinobi based on their abilities. And if the duty is completed successfully, we receive payment from the client. Since you guys just recently became Genin," he picked up the scroll with the letter 'D', "D-Rank missions are all you will get."

His back turned to the Hokage, Naruto was facing his teammates, "Last night I had pork ramen, so I thought miso sounds good for tonight-"

"Hey, listen when I talk to you!" the Third scolded.

Before Kakashi had a chance to apologize, Naruto replied, "All you do is give lectures! But I'm not the troublemaker you still think I am!"

With a smirk, the Third finally gave in. "Fine." Surprised, the team perched up. "I'll give you a C-Rank mission. You will be escorting a certain individual back to his country."

_'__I wonder who our client is?' _Risa thought excited. This would be their first 'real' mission. No babysitting, no running errands, no helping out on farms, but an escort mission!

The Hokage called the client into the room. As soon as the door slid open a crack, the overwhelming smell of sake wafted into the room. It was followed by a middle aged man, with eyes half closed and flushed cheeks. He leaned against the doorframe, taking a swig of his liquor bottle.

"So, you brats are going to bring me back to the Land of Waves? You don't look very reliable. Especially the short one with the stupid face," he said, breath foul with sake. It took a moment for Naruto to realize that he was "the short one with the stupid face", seeing as he was the shortest among the four Genin.

Kakashi managed to grab the collar of his jacket just in time before Naruto could lash out at the client. Kicking and punching in the air, the Jonin held him back as he shouted threats at the drunken man.

"I'm the bridge building expert Tazuna. I expect you to protect me until I get back to my country and complete the bridge," the man stated.

* * *

The team was given a few hours to prepare for the mission and would then meet up at the village gate.

Risa was finishing packing up her bag when there was a knock on her window. Turning towards the sound, she saw Sasuke standing outside her room, leaning against her window frame. From the looks of it he was all packed and ready.

"Don't forget to close your window before you leave," he reminded her with a smirk. He knew she usually kept it open so she could hear her wind chimes singing.

"I wasn't going to forget!" She pouted even though she probably would have, excited as she was to leave the village for the very first time. "I'll meet you at the door so wait there for a second." With that, she slid her window closed and watched him disappear to the front door.

Since Kakashi had already gone ahead to meet Tazuna, Sasuke and Risa walked together towards the village gate. The streets were bustling with activity, people hurrying about, merchants advertising their ware, children laughing and playing. Tazuna didn't seem that pleasant a client but at least they got a chance at a C-Rank mission!

Soon the gate came into view, together with Kakashi, Tazuna, and Sakura. The pinkette's face grew dark when she saw Sasuke and Risa walking towards them together. Not too pleased about this, she took her chance to stand close to him once they joined the group to wait for Naruto. After he had finally arrived, they set off, Tazuna still expressing doubts about whether he'd actually be safe with someone like Naruto around to protect him.

* * *

The sun was shining brightly, clouds drifting through the blue sky. Sakura had asked Kakashi about whether there were shinobi in the Land of Waves, to which he responded no, going into explaining the ninja world, hidden villages, and the leaders of the Great Five Shinobi Countries, the Kages.

"Don't worry, you guys. There won't be any ninja combat in a C-Rank mission. Thugs maybe," he assured them.

"So we won't be seeing any foreign ninjas?" Sakura asked, relieved. Kakashi shook his head while patting hers. Next to him, Tazuna lowered his head, staring at the ground.

The path ahead was mostly dry, save for a little puddle off to the side. Without paying any attention to it, the group walked on past. Kakashi had slowed his pace unnoticed, bringing up the rear.

Suddenly, a metallic hissing cut through the peacefulness.

"One down."

Risa turned just in time to witness her adopted father be ripped apart by a long and dangerously spiked chain. Each end of it was connected to a metallic claw, that each of the two masked shinobi wore.

Empty. Risa wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel. Terrified? Aghast? She didn't feel anything. She was empty. As if there was a hole inside her through which everything had leaked out, leaving a hollow vessel.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Sakura's cry ripped through the shocked silence.

"Two down."

In the blink of an eye, the two hostile shinobi had appeared behind Naruto. All he could do was stare into his certain death as the chain hissed through the air, ready to devour its next victim. Without hesitation, Sasuke jumped into the air, throwing a shuriken at the chain, lodging it into the bark of a tree. With immense precision, a kunai pierced through the hole in the throwing star, holding the chain fast in place. While they were trying to pull free, Sasuke landed on the pair's metallic claws, grabbing them while simultaneously kicking backwards, each foot connecting with a face. Disconnecting the chain from the claws, the duo found a foothold and without a second hesitation dashed towards their respective targets. One of them ran for Tazuna, while the other turned to finish off Naruto. Kunai in hand, Sakura rushed in front of the team's client to shield him.

Naruto saw the sharp claw coming towards him, lifting his arms up in front of him to act as a shield. He knew it wouldn't do. The claw would pierce right through him, and the shinobi would go on to kill off everyone else here. He shut his eyes, not wanting to follow the claw's movement any longer when suddenly he heard a thud. The enemy's weapon was on the ground, a foot holding it down.

"I'll pay you back for what you did."

Before he could react, a strong punch in the chest startled him, leaving him stunned for a second when knuckles connected with his chin, sending him stumbling backwards. He regained his balance quickly, dashing forward and raising his claw for a counter attack when suddenly there was an arm around his neck, knocking the wind out of him and almost choking him.

Risa could barely believe her eyes. Whipping her head around quickly, she noticed several wood pieces that had been cut when Kakashi had used the replacement technique. A long sigh escaped her lips. He was alive. Of course he was. _'Don't scare me like that…'_

"Sorry for not helping out right away. I didn't think you wouldn't be able to move, Naruto," he apologized, "Anyway, nice job, Sasuke. You too, Risa. Sakura was brave, too."

"Naruto, their claws are soaked in poison. We have to remove it quickly. Don't move too much, otherwise it will spread quicker," he added. It was then that Naruto first noticed the cuts on the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry I didn't come earlier. I got you hurt," Risa apologized.

Naruto tried to muster a smile, "I-It's okay, Risa-chan."

After tying up the two hostile shinobi, Kakashi explained that they were Chuunin from the Hidden Village of Mist, Kirigakure. He also mentioned how he had noticed them, hiding in a puddle on a sunny day when it had not rained in days. Apparently, enemy ninja involvement turned an easy C-Rank mission into a more difficult and expensive B-Rank mission. Sakura suggested that the team go home to treat Naruto's poisoning and let more experienced shinobi handle this when Naruto stabbed a Kunai into his already wounded hand.

"I'll protect the old man. We're continuing the mission!" he declared.

* * *

The team had decided to continue on after Naruto's heroic declaration, walking towards the shore. Risa was drifting closer to Kakashi, walking near him without saying a word. Looking down at her, a smile came to his lips that was hidden by his mask. He put an arm around her shoulders, ruffling her hair gently.

"I scared you, didn't I?"

She nodded slightly, and he squeezed he shoulder reassuringly, "Don't worry about me. I won't die and leave you alone. I will protect you."

Just then the shore came into view along with a boat that would take them to the Country of Waves. The boatman waved when he recognized Tazuna, the bridge builder returning the greeting. Since the Country of Waves consisted of multiple islands, the only way to get there was by sea, which required a boat. A boat…

"Oh no…"


	4. Chapter 3: Zabuza Momochi

**A/N: Sorry it took so long, I was in Korea for a week and I'm getting ready to leave for college so yea. Reviews are appreciated! Enjoy :)**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Zabuza Momochi**

The mist was so thick that one could barely see his own hand held in front of his face. Eerie silence encased the group, white mist hanging heavy in the air. The water parted gently as the boat crawled toward their destination, barely making a sound. Slunk over the edge, Risa was groaning in agony, feeling as though her entire world was swaying and turning. Had she not already emptied her stomach, she would probably try to retch up her breakfast. Kakashi patted her back, trying to make her feel at least a little better.

"We should see the bridge soon. The Land of Waves lies at its base," the boatman broke the silence. After a while, shadows took form in the mist, turning into huge stone pillars holding up the construction.

"WHOA! It's huge!" Naruto exclaimed, staring at it in amazement.

"Hey, be quiet! Do you want Gatou to find us? Why do you think we are hiding in the mist and not using the engine?" the boatman scolded.

Naruto immediately clamped a hand over his mouth. Tense silence settled over the group, looking over at Tazuna for any kind of explanation. His brows were furrowed as he thought about the man that was after his life. A sigh escaped his lips, getting ready to explain everything, entrusting his life to the group of shinobi before him.

"The man who is after my life-"

"Uuurghh!"

The sound of vomit splattering into the misty waters made everyone else a little sick to their stomachs. Surprisingly, Risa had managed to retch up some more gastric acid, despite having already thrown up all of her meals. "I hate boats…" she muttered, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. While Kakashi stroked her back, Tazuna went on explaining that a man named Gatou was after him for building the bridge. Apparently, Gatou was an extremely wealthy man, who officially ran a large shipping company but sold drugs and other illegal items in the shadows. Using ninjas and gang members to do his dirty work, he aimed to take over businesses and countries. About a year ago he had set his eyes on the Country of Waves, taking control of its shipping industry through money and violence. Since Gatou controlled all business traffic in the country, he feared the completion of Tazuna's bridge.

"But if you knew that ninjas would be after you, why did you not tell us when you hired us?" Kakashi asked after Tazuna's words had sunk in.

"My country is very poor. Even the feudal lord has no money. There was no way to pay for an expensive B-Rank mission," the bridge builder confessed, "Well, you can quit the mission when we get to the shore and return home. I will definitely be killed but…" Tazuna laughed with a wave of his hand, "Don't worry about it! If I die, my cute 10 year old grandson will just cry for a few days and my daughter will live a sad life hating the ninja from Konoha forever. But it won't be your fault at all!"

"Hm… I guess we have no choice. We will protect you at least until you get back to your country," Kakashi promised with a sigh. _'He's a sly one.'_

* * *

Knees still a little wobbly from the boat ride, Risa was glad to finally have solid ground under her feet again. She walked close to Sasuke, grabbing his arm every now and then when she felt herself grow unsteady, which earned her an angry glare from Sakura every so often. The group was taking a path through a forest, using the vegetation as a cover for eyes that would mean Tazuna harm. It would take longer to reach his house this way but better safe than sorry.

Ever since getting off the boat, Naruto had been stealing angry glances at Sasuke while turning his head this way and that to survey their surroundings. Suddenly, he grabbed a shuriken from his weapon pouch, flinging it at a brush while everyone jumped back, startled.

"Heh, it was just a rat," he stated nonchalantly, striking a pose.

As always, Sakura was quick to hit him on the head. "You idiot! What do you think you're doing, acting cool and scaring us like that?!" Tazuna joined in with the pinkette's yelling while Kakashi tried to calm them down.

"Ouch," Sasuke muttered. Surprised, Risa realized that she had clutched his arm when Naruto had thrown the shuriken.

"Ah, sorry!" She released her grip on him only to fasten it again a second later when the blond troublemaker yelled "THERE!", flinging a kunai at yet another innocent brush.

"Naruto, what did I just say?!"

As Sakura was mercilessy shouting at him, Kakashi walked over to it and found that Naruto's knife had just barely missed its target; the target being a white rabbit, paralyzed with fear at its near death experience.

"Look what you've done!" The pinkette scolded as Naruto picked up the scared ball of fluff, apologizing to it over and over while rubbing his face on its soft fur. Soft, white fur that looked like someone had picked a cloud from the sky and passed it off as a rabbit. Kakashi's eye narrowed as he realized that they were not alone.

"It's a white rabbit." Sasuke regarded Risa with a raised eyebrow at this obvious statement. "Don't rabbits only turn white in winter?"

"EVERYONE, GET DOWN!"

Without a second hesitation, Sasuke grabbed her shoulder almost painfully, pulling her down to the ground with him just as something heavy flew over them. With a _thunk_ the 'something' lodged itself into a tree trunk and slowly, Risa dared to look up. The biggest sword that she had ever seen was stuck in the bark, blade shining sharply in the sunlight. Close to the tip, a round hole was stamped out of it. A shiver ran down Risa's spine at the sight of it. It was a horrendous sword and she wasn't all too keen on meeting its wielder.

Suddenly and out of nowhere, a tall man with a bandaged face and merciless eyes appeared on the weapon's hilt. He stared at them coldly, watching them get up, his gaze fixating on Kakashi, when he stepped forward with seemingly no care in the world.

"Well, if it isn't Kiri's nukenin, Zabuza Momochi," he introduced the stranger.

Naruto clenched his fists, glancing over at Sasuke who stood slightly in front of Risa. Remembering his uselessness against the Demon Brothers and his oath to never let that happen again, he came to a resolve. _'This is my chance! I'll take this guy out and make Sasuke look like a loser for once!'_ Seeing that his rival still hadn't made a move, he dashed forward only to come to an abrupt halt when Kakashi barred his way with his gloved hand.

"Get back," he ordered, "This one is on a whole other level than those Chuunin from before."

The man named Zabuza regarded the squad's teacher with as much emotion in his gaze as an ice block. A bunch of children and an old man. The only threat was obviously the Jonin. Watching carefully, he followed the silver haired man's hand as it moved to his forehead protector, ready to reveal the eye that hid under it. "You must be Kakashi of the Sharingan," Zabuza broke the tense silence with a frigid voice that sent shivers down the Genin's spines.

"Surround and protect Tazuna-san. Do NOT enter the fight," the Jonin commanded his squad as he pushed up his forehead protector, showing his closed left eye, a long and thin scar running vertically through it. Ever so slowly his eyelid lifted to reveal a crimson colored iris, three tomoe surrounding the pupil.

Zabuza's low chuckle made Risa's skin crawl. "I'm honored. I already get to see your famous Sharingan," the nukenin snorted while Kakashi stared at him coldly with that red eye of his.

Tension was running high, the atmosphere weighing heavily on everyone except- "Sharingan! Sharingan! You keep saying Sharingan but what the hell is it?!" Naruto's voice broke through the silence.

"The Sharingan," Sasuke started, "is a dojutsu that has the ability to read and see through all types of ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. But that's not all…"

"That is quite right, boy," Zabuza interrupted, "The Sharingan's most fearful ability: to copy your opponent's techniques once you see them." He chuckled again, the sound vibrating through the heavy air. "When I was a member of Kiri's assassination team, I kept a bingo book. And guess what? You were in it; the man who has copied over a thousand techniques, Copy Ninja Kakashi."

With sparkling eyes, Naruto and Sakura regarded their teacher with newfound respect, while Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously. _'The Sharingan is a Kekkei Genkai that only appears in a select few members of the Uchiha Clan. How does he have it…?'_

Sasuke didn't get too far with his speculations, Zabuza's voice interrupting his line of thought, "Enough with all the talking. I'm going to kill the old man."

In the blink of an eye the four Genin jumped in front of Tazuna, kunais poised and ready. Kakashi stood before them, eyes fixed on the nukenin. "It seems I have to kill _you_ first," Zabuza chuckled before grabbing the hilt of his massive sword, pulling it out of the tree in a swift motion. For a second he disappeared and Risa desperately trained her eyes to try and find him when they heard a splashing from the river up ahead. She whipped her head around to see the nukenin poised on the water's surface.

"Over there!" Naruto yelled.

"He's standing… on the water…?" Risa muttered astonished.

Suddenly, thick mist started rolling into the clearing as he lifted his arm, shrouding everything in its white embrace. Zabuza disappeared from sight, as well as most of their surroundings. Risa could barely see Kakashi, who was only standing a few feet in front of them.

"He's gone!" Sakura shrieked, tightening her grip on her knife.

Kakashi's body was tense, every muscle ready to move the second his opponent would decide to strike. "He'll come after me first," he assured his student before warning them, "But you guys be careful. Zabuza Momochi is an expert in silent killing. You'll be dead before you know what happened." The Genin gulped, bodies tense, cold sweat covering their skin.

"Eight choices."

His frigid voice came from nowhere but at the same time from everywhere at once. The mist thickened, claiming Kakashi for itself as he disappeared from sight. Shivers ran down Risa's spine, her body trembling with fear. She fastened her grip on her weapon, clinging to it as if it could protect her from harm.

"Liver, lungs, spine, larynx, subclavian artery, brain, kidneys, heart. Which one should I go for?"

Risa's breath hitched in her throat as her heart hammered against her ribcage so hard she was afraid it would burst. The air was thick with fear and she felt like she was being drowned, heavy mist pulling her deeper and deeper until the pressure would crush her. Her hands were slick with sweat but she clutched at her kunai so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Suddenly Kakashi released a burst of chakra, dispelling the thickness of the mist. But with the burst of energy came a burst of killing intent.

_'__I'm suffocating. I can't breathe. I can't…' _Desperately gasping for air, her body was trembling, her heart racing. Seconds stretched into eternity as she was frozen in place, invisible hands choking the life out of her. It was too much. Too much…

"Sasuke." Kakashi's gentle voice broke through the tension. _'Sasuke?' _ Her eyes flitted over to the Uchiha, sweat drops running down his face, body trembling.

"Don't worry. I will protect you guys with my life," the silver haired Jonin assured them with a smile.

There it was. A long awaited breath. Her trembling subsided as her lungs filled with oxygen. She gripped her kunai more confidently now as she replayed Kakashi's words in her mind, _'I will protect you.'_

"We'll see about that."

Her eyes widened when the voice reached her ears from behind her.

"It's over."

Risa didn't even have enough time to whip her head around as something flashed past her. Trying to turn her body, she tripped over her own feet, falling to the ground. Before her, Zabuza was standing still, horrendous sword poised for attack. In front of him, Kakashi had pierced a kunai into his abdomen, pushing it in as far as it would go. Liquid gushed out of the wound, splattering on the ground. But it wasn't blood.

"Water…?" Risa realized just as the nukenin burst into the transparent liquid.

"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto yelled, just as Zabuza appeared behind him soundlessly, heavy sword going for the kill.

For the second time that day Risa had to witness her father being torn apart. Her heart seemed to stop as Kakashi's top half fell towards the ground excruciatingly slow. Trembling, she desperately tried to remember his words. _'I won't die and leave you alone. I will protect you.'_

Sakura's shriek pulled her out of her trance in time to watch Kakashi's body turn to water and appear behind a shocked Zabuza. Before he could change his stance to attack, a kunai was put to his throat. "Don't move," Kakashi threatened, "It's over."

A terrifying chuckle formed in Zabuza's chest. "Impressive," he snorted, "At that time you had already copied my Water Clone Jutsu. You had your clone reassure your team to attract my attention while the real you stayed in the mist and watched. Nice plan. But…" He burst into water.

Kakashi's eyes widened as Zabuza's voice sounded behind him, "I'm not that easy."

The sword was already in motion, rushing towards the Jonin's head, thirsting for blood. Kakashi managed to drop down just in time, the blade barely missing the top of his head but giving his silver hair a little trim. To stop its momentum, Zabuza dug the tip of his weapon into the ground before changing his grip on the hilt to have something to hold onto while he turned his body to send Kakashi flying through the air with a kick. Seeing his chance to strike at his temporarily defenseless opponent, he grabbed his sword to dash after the Jonin only to come to a skidding halt as Kakashi had dropped spikes behind him. There was a loud splash when a body hit water. "Fool," Zabuza chuckled and disappeared from the sight of the Genin, only to reappear behind the Jonin as he emerged to the surface. Before Kakashi could react, the nukenin had already finished forming the seals for his technique.

"Water Prison Jutsu!"

The water rose up, encasing Kakashi in a sphere, rendering him immobile. One of Zabuza's hands was stuck in the prison, upholding it.

"Now that you can't move, I'll take care of your little students and the old man. After they're dead, I'll finish you off," the nukenin announced as he made another water clone that rose up from the depths of the river, slowly stepping towards his targets.

The four Genin were tense as the clone came to a halt on the riverbank, staring them down mockingly. "You kids are wearing those forehead protectors and acting like ninjas. A real ninja is someone who has stared into Death's face numerous times," he snorted condescending as mist started building up again. Disappearing, his voice was the only thing left of him, "Only when you're good enough to be listed in my bingo book can you start calling yourselves real ninjas." Suddenly Naruto flew backwards, blood splattering on the ground from his nose. His forehead protector had come lose, Zabuza's foot crushing down on it.

"You kids are not real ninjas."

Naruto skid to a stop, Sakura yelling his name.

"Just a bunch of brats."

Terrified Naruto stared at the clone a few feet in front of him. This was real. They were going to die. His heart thumped against his chest, body trembling, unable to move.

Suddenly Kakashi's voice sounded through his liquid prison, "Take Tazuna-san and run! As long as he's keeping me trapped, he won't be able to move! The clone can't go very far from his body, so just run! Now!"

Risa's fists clenched, fingernails digging into her palms. Kakashi was right; they couldn't beat someone like Zabuza. They should just run away, sacrifice one of their own to save themselves and their client. But she couldn't. She couldn't just leave him to die.

Suddenly a battle cry echoed through the air as Naruto dashed towards the clone.

"Don't!" "Naruto, what are you thinking?!" "Naruto!"

"Idiot."

With ease Zabuza repelled the boy, his kick sending him flying all the way to where his teammates were watching his body drop to the ground before them. For a while he lay motionless, making Risa fear the worst. Then he stirred, body trying to slowly pick itself up. Risa's gaze fell on his bandaged fist and her eyes widened. His forehead protector was clutched in his hand. "What are you doing attacking by yourself? We have no chance against him!" Sakura scolded but paused when her eyes fell on Naruto's hand. _'He did it to get his forehead protector back…?'_

Blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, Naruto stood up, a scoffing grin on his face. "Hey, you eyebrow-less freak, put this in your bingo book. The man who will one day become Hokage…" He straightened his back proudly, tying the blue fabric of his forehead protector at the back of his head. "…Is Konoha's Number One Ninja, Naruto Uzumaki!"

Zabuza's face darkened at the boy's resolve. He had hoped to break them and to drown their remains in fear. _'Brats.'_

Eyes fixed on their opponent, Naruto called to Sasuke, "Hey, listen, I have a plan!"

"Pft, teamwork? From you?" the Uchiha scoffed while inwardly impressed – although he would never admit it – that the blond troublemaker had come up with a plan in this situation.

Turning his head towards the raven haired boy, Naruto grinned determined, "Yeah, let's go wild!"


End file.
